Christmas, Senshi Style
by A Writer of Fact and Fiction
Summary: Usagi and Mamoru celebrate the holiday season with their friends. This next (and final) instalment in my series takes place several months after 'Usagi's Dilemma' at the beginning of the Japanese school year's Winter Break. Rated M for occasional mature content.
1. Chapter 1

Christmas, Senshi Style

. . . . .

Usagi and Mamoru celebrate the holiday season with their friends.

This next (and final) instalment in my series takes place several months after 'Usagi's Dilemma' at the beginning of the Japanese school year's Winter Break.

Rated M for occasional mature content.

. . . . .

Chapter 1:

_"Deck the halls with boughs of holly!"_ Aino Minako abruptly began singing in English from the passenger seat of her orange Toyota. _"Fa la la la laa... la la, la la!"_

Makoto took her eyes off the road just long enough for a puzzled glance in her direction. "Nani?"

"Just making merry, Mako-chan. And why not? We're finally on our winter break and it's nearly Christmas!" To the brunette's dismay, the vaguely familiar and slightly off-key melody continued, with her blonde friend switching back to Japanese. _"I_ _forget the rest of the words! Fa la la la laa... la la, la la!"_

"Thank heavens for small mercies" Makoto sighed.

"What's the problem? Aren't you getting into the spirit of the holiday season yet?"

"Sounds like someone in here has already gotten into too many spirits. The liquid kind!" Makoto gave her future sister-in-law an appreciative smile. "But thanks for letting me drive today, Minako-chan. I need as much experience as I can get."

"Of course you don't!" Minako scoffed. "You passed your driving test on the very first try and have your full license now. What more is there to learn?"

"Lots more! Like... how to drive safely in snow and ice and tricky stuff like that. At least the weather over the holidays is supposed to be nice. Not like it was last year."

"Wasn't that big storm just _awful?"_ The bubbly blonde immediately launched back into song. _"Taro and Yuji are waiting for us! Fa la la, la la la, la la laaa!"_

This time Makoto joined in. "I'm going to crash if you keep on torturing me! Fa la la la laa... la la la whatever. There" she smirked. "How was that?"

"Don't be such a scrooge, Mako-chan!"

"What on earth is a _scrooge?_"

"It's from a story they tell in England about a rich old miser who hated Christmas. Just like the way _you_ sound today."

"I don't hate Christmas, Minako-chan! Not at all! I love it! We've escaped from that dungeon they call a school for two whole weeks, we'll be with our fiancees again in a few minutes, and I bought my Yuji a present that I _so_ hope he likes. Where's the hate?"

"What'd you get him?" the other girl pressed. "Something manly, like a hammer or a new sports shirt? Or..." she tittered, "a sexy _negligee _for you to parade around the bedroom in, perhaps?" She cooed, "To help put your boy in the mood for lots of holiday _love-love?"_

"I'm not telling. Anyway, he doesn't need the help" Makoto grinned. "And neither do I." She muttered, _"A hammer! Good grief!_" then spied a familiar light-blue car trundling along far in the distance. "There's Ami and Ryo ahead of us." A mischievous gleam appeared in her vivid green eyes and she mashed the accelerator to the floor. "Let's see if this little pumpkin of yours can catch them!"

"There you go again!" Minako laughed. "Your wild side always comes out whenever you drive. Not that I mind, Speedy Mako!"

"I'm even starting to like that name" the brunette chuckled. "But only because Yuji thought of it first. So don't wear it out!"

"I promise I'll call you that only at very appropriate times, Mako-chan. And now, once again from the top! _"Deck the halls with-"_

_"Minako-chaan!"_

. . . . .

Urawa Ryo carefully parked the small sedan he was driving in the laneway, close to the old house bequeathed to Makoto by a departed aunt. He turned off the ignition and looked expectantly at his beloved. "It's time to receive another evaluation from my beautiful fiancee and professional driving sensei. How was my driving today, Ami darling?"

"Very good, my Ryo-kun" Ami replied with a loving smile. "Perhaps a trifle slow at times, but it's much more important to concentrate on building your confidence at this early stage. So that's quite ok."

"Nani? You're implying I drive like Usagi?" the boy joked. "Or even worse, like _Yuuichirou? _Oh no! The horror!"

Ami kissed his cheek and giggled, "You were slow, my love, not glacial!" She and her fiancee climbed out and greeted the two girls who had parked behind them. "Konnichiwa, minna!"

Minako rushed up to them. _"Fa la la la-"_

"Shut up before I kill you" Makoto growled at the bubbly blonde, then smiled amid the resulting silence at Ami and Ryo. "Hi, love birds."

"Konnichiwa, Mako-chan. It appears that we're the first to arrive today" Ami noted. "I don't see any sign of Yuji or Taro, which is rather unusual since they always rush outside whenever they hear Minako's car coming." She giggled, "I think they've both been conditioned to react to the sound of its screaming engine, just as Pavlov's dogs reacted to their dinner bell."

_"Whose_ dogs? Makoto asked, then chuckled, "Never mind, Ami-chan. You can explain it to me later." She peered past the couple at the quiet house. "This _is_ odd... the boys promised us they'd be here early." The brunette managed a single curious stride toward her country home before Minako blazed past her in a frantic blur of blonde and orange. She soared up and over the two front steps with a single bound and twisted the doorknob.

"It's unlocked, Mako-chan!" the excited girl blurted. "Our honey-loves must be inside! Maybe my Taro is already waiting for me in one of the love-love rooms!" She vanished inside the house leaving the door swaying open on its hinges.

_"Someone's_ certainly in the Christmas mood!" Ryo chuckled.

Makoto reminded the rather shy sixteen-year-old boy, "I don't think the holiday is the biggest thing on Minako's mind at the moment, Ryo-chan."

"Or on yours, Mako-chan" Ami insisted with a giggle. "You haven't seen _your_ fiancee since last weekend either!"

The tall brunette stared at Ami, momentarily taken aback by the normally modest girl's implication, then admitted, "Hai. I've been counting the days, the hours and the minutes too!"

She and her friends followed Minako inside to discover the two brothers busy in the living room. Yuji stood perched on the uppermost rung of a stepladder with Taro holding it steady and Minako's arms clenched tightly around her fiancee. Three of the room's walls, its door frames, stair railing, and even the old piano had been brightly decorated with red and green streamers, loops of green and gold garland and copious amounts of shimmering silver tinsel.

"I'll be right with you, Mako my love!" the boy promised, then hastily taped the loose end of the long strand of garland he held against the wall. Yuji clambered down the ladder and hurried into her arms. "Do you like what we've done with your place? I hope you don't mind the temporary redecoration."

His girl answered him with a bright smile and a soft tender kiss. "Everything looks absolutely wonderful, Yuji honey! You and Taro must've been working hard at this all morning."

"There's a bunch more decorations in that box over there that we still haven't put up yet" Taro told her. "And we're still not done then, Mako-cha_mmmm..."_ The boy's comment to the brunette was cut short by Minako's lips pressing wantonly against his.

"What my brother was about to say" Yuji laughed, "is that we still haven't gotten a tree. But we will! I thought it would be nice to go all-out and celebrate our first Christmas together in the western traditional style, like they always do in those American movies."

"That's so sweet, darling!" Makoto smiled happily. "I'd really like that. Arigatou."

Minako's ears perked up and she suddenly whirled around._ "A Christmas tree? Hai hai!_ That's what's missing here! And it's just what we need for the _perfect_ finishing touch, Mako-chan!" Her blue eyes began glimmering in anticipation. "We'll go into the nearest grove, find the fanciest tallest tree with lots of thick branches, and my stud muffin can show me what a big strong man he is by chopping it down!"

"With his bare hands" Yuji teased, his brother answering with a silent playful glare.

The brunette in Yuji's embrace hesitated. "Uh... if it's ok with you, I'd much prefer the artificial kind, honey. If we can find something that isn't too expensive. It seems like a crime against nature to kill a perfectly good and healthy tree, even for Christmas."

"Somehow I knew my bride-to-be would feel that way" her fiancee replied with a knowing smile. "No problem sweetheart, we've got it covered! They sell artificial trees at that hardware store where Taro works part-time. It's nearly Christmas so he can get a great deal on one."

"That's an excellent idea, Mako-chan" Ami agreed. "It's always wise to do our best to preserve Japan's natural environment."

Minako's bright smile abruptly flipped upside-down into a scowl of deep disapproval. _"Unacceptable!" _she pronounced._ "No, no, a million times NO!_ Minna, I want a _real_ tree, one of those piney things that makes the whole house smell like we're living outdoors in the wild untamed wilderness! Not some horrible fake plastic _monstrosity!"_ she insisted with a vehement stamp of her foot.

_"Ow!"_ Taro grimaced in pain.

"Gomen, muffin plum! Did I hurt you?"

"Nothing's broken" the boy hastily reassured his love before hobbling over to the sofa. "I hope."

She rushed to his side. "Are you sure? Your loving Nurse Minako is always ready, willing and happy to treat any condition that ails you!"

"Especially the injuries you cause to him yourself" Makoto snorted. "Anyway, if we're having a tree it's going to be the artificial kind. And that's final, Minako-chan."

"You really _are_ a scrooge today, Mako-chan! Fine! If that's the way you feel about it, I'll just go out and get a real tree _all by myself!_ And then we'll have_ two!" _she giggled.

Makoto stared at her Yuji in disbelief. "That baka Minako wants to turn my living room into a forest!"

. . . . .


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

After ninety minutes on the road and still no house in sight, Rei's willpower finally began to crack. "Usagi-chan, would you do me a favour please?" the miko asked from the rear seat of Chiba Mamoru's car. "_If_ and _when_ we finally arrive in Nerima, would you mind turning around?"

"Why, Rei-chan? Did you forget something?"

"No. It's just that the next school semester starts in two weeks and I don't want to be late to my first class."

"Hmph! Don't be in such a big hurry! I'm doing my best!"

"Your _best?_ Usagi-chan, my grandfather has lead _funeral processions_ that moved faster than we're going. And they were walking!"

"Don't exaggerate, Rei-chan!" Usagi raised one hand off the wheel and gestured toward the only other vehicle in sight, a car driven by an elderly lady who was slowly creeping past her in the other lane. "Don't you see how completely _insane_ the highway traffic is today?"

"Just as I thought" the miko sighed. "As hopeless as always." She turned to her fiancee and grumbled, "Yuuichirou honey, it looks like we'll be spending the entire holiday stuck out here on the expressway."

The young man sitting beside her looked up from the compact disc case he was perusing. "I'm not so sure about that, Rei darling. I think we're making great time! Usagi has really picked up the pace since we left Tokyo."

The raven-haired girl's tone became caustic. "She _has,_ has she?"

"Hai! Seems to me like we're almost flying!" her young man nodded.

"To _you_ it probably does. Then again, you'd get nervous watching two turtles race each other."

"You bet I would!" the apprentice grinned. "I hear those turtle crashes can be horrific! Real fireballs!"

"Lover?"

"Yes dear?"

"Shut up."

"Yes dear."

Chuckling to himself, Yuuichirou returned to his reading.

The other car, now more than thirty meters in front of the two couples, flashed its left signal and cautiously eased into Usagi's lane. _"Minna, did you see that?"_ Usagi fumed. "That grey-haired obaasan in the white car just cut me off!" She angrily honked her horn and began yelling through the windshield, _"Road hog! Why don't you learn how to drive before you kill someone, you crazy old bat!"_

Uttering a low groan, Rei's head slumped forward into her open palms. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Please try to stay calm, Usako" Mamoru urged. "Raging against other drivers is never healthy. Or safe."

"I'm trying to, Mamo-chan! But it isn't easy when I have to deal with maniacs and speed demons like that all over the road!"

The university student sighed then asked over his shoulder, "What's the issue with with your Mercedes, Rei-chan? Nothing serious I trust."

"My car is fine, Mamoru-san. But it's in the garage for a routine servicing and needs a small part they don't have. It won't be ready until Christmas Eve."

"Just in time to for you to chauffeur my old task master out here to celebrate the holidays with us" Yuuichirou chuckled. "It'll be like having our very own miniature Santa-san in the house."

Re scowled at her fiancee. "Ojii-chan may be short but he _isn't_ a task master, Yuuichirou-chan! He's simply very disciplined and expects the same work ethic from us."

"Gomen, darling. Uh... how were you planning on getting back to Tokyo to pick him up?"

"My intention was to ask Ami for a lift. I _certainly_ won't ask baka Minako. If my car isn't ready and she has to bring Grandpa to Nerima, that girl's lunacy at the wheel may end up giving him another heart attack."

"Don't go pestering Ami, Rei-chan. I'm sure she and Ryo will be very busy studying together." Usage volunteered, "Why don't _I _drive you back to Tokyo instead?"

"Great" Rei muttered, her shoulders sagging in despair. "We'll arrive at the shrine just in time to ring in the new year. The _next_ one, not this one."

_"Ohh!_ Nothing like 'Arigatou, Usagi-chan' or 'That's very kind of you' Usagi-chan. _Noo!_ Just another typical rude insult!" Usagi yelled, _"Fine! __See if I bother to offer you my help ever again!"_

"Now now, be nice, Usako. After all, it's nearly Christmas" Mamoru pleaded, knowing the utter futility of his words even before he spoke them.

"Why is everyone expecting me to do the impossible today?" the blonde grumbled. _"Speed up,_ Usagi-chan! _Be nice,_ Usagi-chan! It's enough to drive a girl completely insane!"

"That's the only driving you could possibly manage that wouldn't take forever. Because you're nearly there already!" Rei shot back. "If your fiancee really wanted you to do the impossible, Usagi-chan, he'd ask you to go at a reasonable speed. Like the posted limit, for once" the raven-haired girl smirked.

Usagi glared evilly in her mirror. "Not one more word, Rei-chan! _Not one!"_

The mike promptly ignored her. "If we ever do make it to Mako-chan's house, Yuuichirou honey, at least we'll finally have some peace and quiet."

. . . . .

"Minna, as of now I'm taking over supervising the Christmas decorating!" Minako announced. "Mako-chan, what this place of yours needs is more of that classy Aino Minako decorating expertise!"

"Oh? Are you planning on crushing my house like you just did with poor Taro's foot? That was an expert move."

"Hush, Mako-chan! Let me check what's left in that box." Minako scurried over to the cardboard carton and began rifling through it. "We have tree decorations... lights... more tinsel..." She suddenly straightened up and uttered in a panicked gasp, _"Minna, there's no star!_ We need a star as a tree topper! Wait, we need _two_ stars! One for the horrible fake thing Mako-chan wants and another for the _real_ tree I'm getting!"

"You always wanted to be a star, Minako-chan, so why don't you sit on top of one of them?" the brunette laughed. "That'll save a few yen."

"Ha ha. So silly." The blonde rummaged through her purse, extracting a pen and a small notebook. "There's bound to be other things too. I'd better start making a list."

"And be sure to check it twice" Yuji chuckled.

"You and that fiancee of yours are_ so_ alike, Mako-chan" Minako muttered. "Let me see now... two stars for topping..." she wrote, "...one _real_ tree... _hmm..._ what else might we need?"

"Don't forget the three french hens and two turtle doves, Minako-chan" Ami added with a giggle.

"Not you too, Ami-chan!" the girl groaned. "That's the problem with you people! Everyone here thinks they're a comedian! Well, I've had _more_ _than enough_ fun and joking around for one day. This is _Christmas,_ minna! It's a serious business!"

"And here we thought it was supposed to be a nice relaxing vacation" Makoto grinned at Yuji. "I feel so ridiculous."

Minako scribbled furiously in her notebook. "I almost forgot! We need one of those round circle thingys to hang outside on the front door!"

"You mean a wreath?" the brunette asked. "There's no need to go overboard, Minako-chan. There looks to be plenty of spare garland left in the box. I'm sure I can make a decent wreath using some of that, a few pieces of ribbon and a couple of wire coat hangers."

The girl sporting the red bow was utterly aghast at the idea. _"Make_ one? How positively _primitive, _Mako-chan! I want this house to look absolutely _perfect_ for my first Christmas with my honey sugar. Besides, what would the neighbours think?"

"Neighbours?" Yuji puzzled.

"Gomen. I didn't realize that Christmas decorating was such a competitive sport" Makoto replied. "Are you trying to win an award or something?"

"I take my decorating work _very_ seriously, Mako-chan. The Aino Minako name is not something people associate with crude home-made knicky-knacks!"

"That's true. Everyone who knows you associates it with complete craziness and occasional serious bodily harm."

"Nonsense! I'm not that way at all!" Undaunted, Minako stuffed the notepad back in her purse and whipped out her car keys like a wild-west gunslinger drawing their weapon from a holster. "Minna, I'm going shopping in Nerima! While I'm away, I want you and Yuji to finish decorating the living room, Taro-love. And our bedroom too!"

"Our _bedroom,_ my sweet?" her boy asked.

"Hai! But remember to keep it tasteful. You know, with lots of tinsel and shiny baubles every place you can put them." She paused to reach for something in the box of decorations. "And hang this mistletoe ball over there in the hall" she pointed. "Directly above the spot where our portable bed always goes." The blonde coyly winked, "For all the kisses and love-love we're going to enjoy during our holiday, snuggle muffin!" then ran over to her fiancee, passionately pressed her lips to Taro's, then whooshed from the house like a whirlwind to begin her quest.

"Fantastic" Makoto groaned. "The forest in the living room idea wasn't bad enough. Now she wants to turn the hall into a love hotel!"

Ami offered, "About the only thing missing from Minako's plan for your hallway is a heart-shaped bed and perhaps a mirror on the ceiling, Mako-chan."

_"A mirror_? _On the..."_ Ryo's eyes sprung naively wide. _"Ami-chan!_ Where did you get _that_ idea, my love?"

_"Oh dear!"_ The blue-haired girl's face suddenly blushed scarlet. "I... um... let's go unpack our car, Ryo-kun." She took her boy's hand in hers and briskly lead him outside, slamming the door behind her.

"Sounds like Ami is still into those steamy paperback romance novels, Yuji honey" Makoto chuckled. "Now that Minako is busy doing her second favourite thing, I'm going to make everyone some lunch. You and Taro can finish up in here, but please be careful on that ladder." She kissed his cheek and walked away, snickering "A mirror on the ceiling! I'm surprised Minako hasn't thought of that already!" then mused as she entered her kitchen, 'I wonder if Ami would mind secretly lending me one of those racy novels sometime?'

. . . . .


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Usagi trepidatiously guided her fiancee's car through Nerima's light afternoon traffic and breathed a loud sigh of relief after she eventually emerged across town. _"Whew!_ That was stressful!"

"For all of us" Rei muttered. "Then again, if you somehow managed to hit something at the snail's pace we've been moving all day, how would anyone know?"

"Stop complaining, you!"

"And _you_ stop driving like there's an egg under the gas pedal, or we won't make it to the house before dark!"

"Aren't you happy yet, Grumpy-chan?" the blonde said. "I brought us safely through town and we'll be arriving at Mako-chan's place in a few more minutes. Be patient!"

"The word 'arriving' is _perfect_ for this situation, Usagi-chan" her friend quipped. "I feel like I'm getting off a plane after a long gruelling flight half way around the world. I wonder what time zone I should set my watch to?"

The blonde sitting in front of her began to scowl, but as Rei watched Usagi's expression through the mirror, the girl at the wheel surprised the miko when she donned a bright smile. "You know what, Rei-chan? I'm not going to let your constant teasing and nagging upset me during my holiday. Not this time. Instead, I'm going to enjoy Christmas vacation with the man I love. And I'll enjoy Mako-chan's delicious food, and listen to holiday music and unwrap presents and anything else I can think of that's fun. So there!"

"That's a great attitude, Usako!" Mamoru congratulated his love's newfound restraint. "We should all try to make the most of each and every day."

"And every night too, Mamo-chan!" Usagi giggled. "If you know what I mean."

"Yuuichirou honey, if Minako ever has that nervous breakdown I've been predicting, I know where we can find a close copy to replace her" Rei laughed. "Minus the crazy driving and her ability to understand English, she and Usagi could pass for sisters at times. Speaking of whom, that looks like Minako's car heading this way."

A bright orange blur soon zoomed past their vehicle with the lone female occupant hunched intently over the wheel. "Hai, there she goes, Rei-chan" Mamoru chuckled. "Minako looks like a girl on a mission."

"I swear I could feel a shockwave when she passed!" Yuuichirou chuckled. "Did anyone else notice the determined expression she was wearing?"

"That's her shopping face, Yuuichirou-chan" Usagi said. "I wonder where she's headed? Maybe she forgot to buy me a present and she's going to get it now! Oh, I _hope_ it's a new manga! Or something tasty to eat like a big chocolate cake! But I guess not. It would be really hard to gift wrap a cake."

Wondering just how long her friend's pledge to ignore her ribbing would last, Rei decided a test was in order. "If she does give you a manga for Christmas, why don't you eat it after you're finished reading it, Usagi-chan" the raven-haired girl suggested. "You devour everything else in sight, so why not paper?"

Usagi's reply was surprisingly calm. "No thank you, Rei-chan. I already have too much fiber in my diet."

Yuuichirou laughed, "Fiber! That was funny, Usagi-chan!"

"Arigatou, Yuuichirou-chan. I thought so too."

"Just whose side are you on, honey?" Rei grumbled at her young man. The raven-haired girl suspiciously eyed the blonde odango jutting out from either side of the driver's headrest. "You're serious about it this time, aren't you?"

"I absolutely am, Rei-chan" Usagi vowed. "No fighting, no bickering, just a peaceful happy holiday with my handsome prince and my closest, dearest friends. And that includes you, of course."

_"Me?_ I..." Rei fell into silence until Makoto's house came into view, then stunned Usagi with what she told the girl next. "You're absolutely right, Usagi-chan. I've been too hard on you for the longest time. So I'd like to help in any way I can to make your holiday extra special this year."

_"Nani?"_

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to make your Christmas vacation really great" the miko vowed. "No teasing or practical jokes. None at all."

"You're _serious?"_ Usagi's eyes narrowed in suspicion._ "_So... what's the catch?"

"There isn't a catch" Rei insisted. "We're been through an awful lot together and we truly are best friends, so isn't it about time we both acted like it?"

Usagi pulled into Makoto's driveway wearing a huge smile. "Arigatou, Rei-chan! _Minna, this is going to be the best winter vacation ever!"_ She stopped the car with a lurch and leapt out. Rei met her at the passenger door and the girls exchanged a warm hug. "Best friends? Forever?" Usagi asked hopefully.

Rei smiled warmly back, "Hai, Usagi-chan. Best friends forever." They hugged again, instructed their fiancees to bring the luggage up to their rooms, and strolled toward the house side by side. "Oh, by the way" Rei told the blonde, "I forgot to mention that Yuuichirou's parents will be in Tokyo for several days as of tomorrow. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they join us here for a brief visit."

"Really? That would be great!" Usagi enthused. "I like your future in-laws. Especially after that sea cruise and the trip to Hawaii they sent us on!"

"Hai. That was very generous of Noriko and Takeo. I miss spending time with them."

"The Kumadas are proud of you, Rei-chan. And so they should be!"

"Yuuichirou's parents and I _are_ quite close" the miko nodded while climbing the steps to the house. "Noriko and I have a lot in common." She held the front door open and gestured her friend inside with a polite bow. "After you, Usagi-chan. Or I _should_ say, my future Queen."

"Arigatou, Rei-chan!" Usagi beamed. "You're too kind!"

Their fiancees had also left the car, and Mamoru exchanged puzzled glances with Yuuichirou while he opened the trunk. "That was somewhat... unexpected" he spoke in hushed tones.

"Indeed it was, Mamoru-san" Yuuichirou quietly replied. "Rei and Usagi are suddenly getting along like they've never fought a day in their lives. Maybe there _is_ something to that Christmas spirit after all." The teenage apprentice stroked his chin, lost in thought. "Do you think their truce will hold together this time? They're certainly behaving like it will."

"I hope so. But honestly? I'll give it two, perhaps three days at most, Yuuichirou-chan."

"That's very optimistic" the apprentice mused. _"Too_ optimistic, knowing my Rei as well as I do. I'm thinking we have maybe twenty four hours until one of the girls blows her top." He grinned, "So you're assuming three days and I'm guessing one, Mamoru-san? How about if the loser buys the winner a coffee?"

Mamoru removed his bag from the trunk then returned the grin. "Agreed. Though this week I hope we _both_ stay thirsty. Remember what happened last time they tried burying the hatchet?"

"Hai" Yuuichirou frowned. "It got really, _really_ ugly."

. . . . .

Minako sang aloud while gunning her Toyota backwards into a parking space_, "Tis the season to go shopping! Fa la la la laa... la la, la- oops! _What was that funny noise?" She peered through her rear window and giggled, "Oh, just another dumb sign! Well,_ that_ silly thing isn't in my way anymore!" With the festive spirit in her heart and the credit card her parents had given her for emergencies clutched tightly in her hand, Minako scurried from her car, ignored the thin metal signpost her rear bumper had just mangled and hurried into Nerima's large new garden center. She found herself humming along to a uniquely Japanese rendition of Jingle Bells playing from the store loudspeakers while taking in the maze of aisles. 'This store is positively _huge!' _she thought in awe._ '_I wonder where they hide their Christmas stuff?' Her blue eyes swept around the cavernous building. 'An inexperienced shopper like Mako-chan would get lost in a place like this. It's a good thing I'm a professional!'

As she wandered through the store she occasionally paused to sniff the air. 'Hmm... still can't _smell _any trees yet."

A somewhat unkempt and shifty-looking employee strolled up behind her and bowed. "Konnichiwa. May I help you find something?"

Minako spun on her heel and replied, _"Hi hi!_ I'm here on a very important mission! I'm_ tree hunting!"_

"You are? Would you happen to have a valid tree hunting license?" the young man smiled.

_"I need one of those?" _she gasped.

"Just an attempt at humour, miss." He immediately launched into his well-rehearsed pitch. "You've definitely come to the right place for all your arboreal needs. Our greenhouse has a wide variety of affordable saplings in birch, native elm, and-"

_"Saplings?_ Aren't those what they call baby trees? Tiny little things with roots and skinny branches?"

"That's more or less correct" the salesman chuckled. "Am I to assume you're looking for a more mature specimen?"

"Hai! Huge and green and pointy at the top, like a triangle, with prickly needles on its branches instead of leaves! You must know the kind. I want a _big_ tree to decorate for Christmas!"

"Ah, so you're looking for a _Christmas_ tree. Well, there is a hardware store two blocks east of here that sells artific-"

Minako brusquely cut him off. "Stop right there!" She miffed, "Unlike _some_ people I know, if I wanted a tasteless plastic stick, I'd buy a broom handle! No, mine has to be a real live tree. Gomen, I meant alive before but dead now!"

"I think I finally understand." The man inquired, "And how tall do you wish it to be?"

The bubbly blonde stood on tiptoes and stretched one arm toward the ceiling._ "Gigantic!_ The taller the better!" She beamed, "I prefer my trees tall and good-looking, just like my fiancee!"

"But of course" the salesman chuckled. "Unfortunately, we currently have nothing like that in stock, but I'm sure I can arrange something suitable from a personal friend who deals in that sort of thing. Allow me to place a brief phone call. With any luck, he can deliver a tree to your address first thing tomorrow morning."

Minako's smiling face radiated triumph. _"Perfect!"_ As she followed the salesman to an order desk she cackled to herself,_ 'Mako-chan, thanks to me and my brilliant shopping skills your Christmas is saved!'_

. . . . .


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

_"Minna! I'm back!"_

Minako elbowed the front door open and staggered into the house, the handles of two shopping bags looped over each arm and a pyramid of cardboard boxes clasped between her hands. On the living room sofa, Makoto was about to sip her tea but the cup froze in mid-rise to her lips. "Welcome home, Minako-chan. Tell me, is there anything left on any store shelves anywhere in Nerima?"

"This is only a little of what I bought today" the blonde said. "There's still more in the car."

Yuri and Usagi sprang from their seats and hurried over to the girl. "Let me help you with that, Minako-chan" Makoto's fiancee offered, then took the boxes from her and carried them to the coffee table. "This bottom one's kind of heavy. And cold!"

Usagi peered inside one of the bags._ "Ohh! I think I see presents!"_ She bounced on her toes with glee, "Which one's mine, Minako-chan?"

The other blonde set her bags down and playfully swatted her curious friend away. "You'll have to wait until Christmas morning to find out, Usagi-chan. And in the meantime, no sneaky peeking! Which won't help you even if you try because everything's already gift wrapped!" Minako's eyes searched the room for her Taro. "Minna, where's my love muffin?"

"Ami and Ryo drove him into town to pick up a tree at the hardware store" the brunette told her. "And while I'm on that subject, where's the _real_ tree you promised everyone you were going to bring? Don't tell me it's sticking out the back of your car!"

"Of course not, silly! The kind I want probably wouldn't even fit. But don't worry! Professional Shopper Aino Minako has _done it again!"_

"You have?" Makoto snorted. "How many innocent people were maimed this time?"

"No injuries, Mako-chan! Except for one silly sign!"

_"Another_ sign? That's the third this month!"

"And the tree" she added with a giggle. "It's not injured, it's totally dead!"

"As opposed to what? Partially dead?" The brunette frowned disapprovingly then sipped her tea. "So, where is this tree? Is it very large? What does it look like?"

"Uh... I haven't actually _seen_ it yet" Minako admitted. "But we all will when it's delivered here tomorrow morning!"

Rei strolled into the living room holding two coffees. "Minako-chan you baka, are you telling us you purchased a Christmas tree without checking it for problems first? That's insane! What if it's all dried out or has broken branches?" Shaking her head, she sat beside Usagi and handed the other coffee mug to Yuuichirou.

Minako answered with a dismissive wave, "Relax, Rei-chan! I promise that my tree will be _tall_ and _perfect_ and stunningly _beautiful_, like me! Well, except for the tall part. Just you wait and see. Remember, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's shopping!" She added with a sly wink, "Though I'm even _better_ at something else, but _that_ subject is between me and my stud muffin!"

_"Between_ you? Impossible" the miko scoffed. "When you're with Taro, there isn't enough of a gap between you and him for a single molecule of _air!"_

Free of her shopping burden, Minako took a moment to wander around the living room and inspect the brothers' completed decorating work. "Hmm... not_ too_ bad... the garland on the stair is a nice touch... it'd be nice to have more tinsel around the piano though. I'll fix that later." She walked over to stand beneath the dangling mistletoe and peered upward. "That's _just_ where I wanted it to be! Although the ceiling here could maybe use a mirror..."

Makoto chuckled, "Ami made a good call. I guess the heart-shaped bed she mentioned is still on back order at the store."

"Nani?" Usagi puzzled from her perch on the sofa between Mamoru and Rei, "Why would anyone want a mirror on the _ceiling_ of all places?"

"I'll tell you, Usagi-chan." Rei grinned. The miko leaned close and whispered in her ear.

"Ohhh! _Ecchi!" _Usagi giggled_._

"Um... Minako-chan?" Yuji reached over to rest his palm against one of the boxes he had carried. "Why does this one feel so chilly?"

"That's because it has something cold and frozen inside it, of course!" Minako stepped over to the mystery box and announced, "Since the theme of our Christmas this year is western traditional, I decided that our big holiday dinner should be in that same style too."

Makoto grumbled, "Thanks for bothering to check with me first."

Minako paid no attention to her disgruntled friend. "So..." She grasped the lid and whisked it off the box with a flourish. _"Ta-daa!_ Here it is, minna! The _piece of resistance!"_

"If what you just tried to say was supposed to be in French, you'd best start paying more attention in language class, Minako-chan" Rei muttered.

Makoto and Yuji simultaneously leaned forward and gazed into the box. The tall brunette's mouth dropped open. _"Good grief, it's a turkey!"_

"Hai! And it's a huge one, Mako honey!" Yuji gasped in awe. "No wonder that box felt so heavy!"

"Isn't it a real_ monster?"_ Minako boasted. "It's pre-stuffed, whatever that means, and it isn't one of those factory-made turkeys either. No way! _This_ one was raised wild on a farm out in the country. Just like my tree was!"

Makoto teased, "A wild turkey from the country? Did you have Taro chop it down for you?" She added with a sigh, "I appreciate the thought, Minako-chan, not to mention the expense. But how in heaven's name am I supposed to cook something this big? Birds like these need to roast for_ hours_ in a proper oven! Which, you may have forgotten, my house doesn't have."

"Really? Can't you use your toaster oven?" the blonde prompted. "It's like a big chicken, isn't it?"

"Sure I can, if I hack the carcass into a dozen pieces first. Maybe the last part will be ready by New Year's."

Usagi raised her hand. "I know! Stick it in your big shiny microwave, Mako-chan!"

"Usagi-chan, you can't cook a stuffed turkey properly in a microwave! And mine's too small to hold something this size."

"You _can't?_ It _is?_ Oh. Then never mind."

Yuji suddenly thought of an idea and suggested, "Mako my love, remember that restaurant Taro and I took you and Minako to last summer? I met the senior chef there and he's a really nice guy. Maybe he'll volunteer to bake it for us in one of their commercial ovens."

"I hate the thought of depending on someone else for our main course" the brunette sighed, "but what other choice do we have? Do you honestly think he wouldn't mind?"

"I'll call the restaurant now and ask him." While Yuji hurried to use the kitchen telephone, Makoto asked the blonde, "Are there any more surprises we should know about in that ridiculous mountain of shopping you brought back?"

"Hai! Let me show you the next thing!" Minako rushed to her car and returned with a huge flat box. She opened it and lifted out a humongous wreath. "Minna, now_ this_ is what I call a proper and respectable holiday decoration! And the best part is, there's no unsightly coat hangers or silly assembly required, Mako-chan!"

"It looks wider than the front door!" Rei joked. "What's that wire hanging from it?"

"It's an _electric_ wreath, Rei-chan! Here, allow me to plug it in and demonstrate!" Minako found an outlet and two dozen tiny bulbs within the immense green circle began flashing on and off. "Now _everyone_ will know it's Christmas at Mako-chan's house!"

"Either that or they'll think she's running an all-night convenience store!" the miko laughed.

Makoto was decidedly unimpressed by the blonde's flickering technicolor display. "I still think I could've made a nicer one."

"Well... now you don't have to." Minako pulled the plug and handed the wreath to Mamoru. "Would you mind hanging this outside for me, Mamoru-san?"

"Certainly, Minako-chan. I hope I can make it fit."

"I also bought us_ two_ treetop stars, extra decorations and lots of twinkly lights for _my_ tree" the blonde continued. "So after they're both finished tomorrow evening, we can decide which one looks and smells best. My _real_ one, or your silly fake!" She bragged, "But I know already it'll be_ mine!"_

"And I already know who's going to enjoy this Christmas most of all" the brunette muttered. "The electric company!"

. . . . .

Half an hour later Ami appeared, holding the front door open to allow Ryo and Taro to carry in a long box. "My goodness!" she exclaimed, staring at the newly-hung door decoration. "That certainly is an impressively large wreath!" She cautioned the two boys following her, "Be careful not to trip over the extension cord it's connected to."

The teens deposited the box in the middle of the living room floor. "One artificial spruce Christmas tree, as the lady of the house requested" Taro smiled. "And before you worry about the cost, Mako-chan, it was free. My boss at the store gave it to me as a bonus." He chuckled, "Either he likes my work or it's so late in the season that he just wanted rid of it."

Minako rushed over and grappled her young man's waist. "I missed you so, my sugar muffin!" After sharing a deep kiss, she disdainfully eyed the box then prodded at it with her toe. "Hmph! You call _that_ a tree? It's only a meter long!"

"It should be much larger after we assemble it" Ryo promised. "Let's do it right away, Taro-chan."

"You're on your own with that job, Ryo-chan" Minako told him. "I need my traditional post-shopping shower and I've been waiting _forever_ for my love-muffin to return so he can wash my back! Taro-love, let's go upstairs!"

As she lead the love of her life up to the second floor, Makoto snickered at the couple, "You aren't fooling anyone with that back-washing story, Minako-chan. You can use my room after you shower. See you next week! Oh, and Merry Christmas!"

Yuuichirou took Taro's place beside the box, intertwined his fingers and cracked his knuckles hard enough to make Rei grimace ."The Hikawa Jinja's unofficial handyman is ready for action, Ryo-chan. Let's put this baby together!"

"You go help them too, Mamo-chan" Usagi urged her fiancee. "While I do some super-secret gift wrapping in the dining room. And whatever you do, _don't_ come in until I'm finished!"

"I promise not to spoil your big surprise, Usako" Mamoru chuckled.

"Good!" The girl fetched her second suitcase from the hall and wheeled it into the room, firmly slamming the door behind her. The door reopened and her head popped out a few seconds later. _"Remember, no peeking,_ _Mamo-chan!"_ then disappeared again. Rei sat watching Ami and the boys work on the tree for a few minutes until she heard Usagi's voice wail, _"Rei-chan, my best friend forever! Help!"_

_. . . . ._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"I'm on my way, Usagi-chan." The miko hurried into the dining room, finding the tabletop and surrounding floor littered with torn and crumpled fragments of wrapping paper. An exasperated Tsukino Usagi stood amid the colorful carnage with several crinkled lengths of tape and scraps of paper stuck to her pink top and tangled in her hair. "What on earth happened in here?" Rei laughed. "Are you trying to turn youself into a human present? Or did a typhoon just sweep through the room?"

"This wrapping business is _hard!"_ the flustered blonde groaned. "I need professional help!"

"I've been telling you that since the day we first met" the raven-haired girl teased. "Here, let me wrap Mamoru's gift for you. It's actually quite simple, so pay attention to what I do and you won't make such a mess of everything next time."

"I will" Usagi promised.

Rei carefully peeled the wayward tape from the girl's braids. "That's a very nice leather briefcase you're giving your fiancee."

_"_It's for his university work" Usagi whispered. "Mama-chan's old case is falling apart. And..." sh giggled, "there's another special surprise hidden inside it too."

"Oh? Mind if I take a look?"

"No! It's for my Mamo-chan's eyes only! I went shopping at that naughty underwear store I caught Ami sneaking out of last summer and bought something really sexy!"

"For you or for him? On second thought, I don't want to know." The miko readied a fresh length of shiny gold paper, placed the case at its center and began folding the edges around it. "While I hold these ends close together, you put a little piece of tape across the gap. Can you manage to do that without gluing yourself to the furniture?"

"No problem!" Usagi peeled a huge strip of tape from its dispenser, which immediately curled around her fingers and stuck to itself. "No! _Not again!"_

"I said a little piece, Usagi-chan. Not half the roll!"

"Get off of me, you stupid tape!" The blonde wildly shook her hand, flicking one end of the sticky strip into the miko's long hair. "Gomen!" She briskly yanked it away.

"Ouch! Are you trying to make me _bald?" _Rei growled. "Be careful!"

"Gomen! It was an accident! Please don't get mad."

"Usagi-chan, when it comes to wrapping presents, you're a complete disaster!" The girl smiled, "But we're still best friends forever." After sealing the gift she asked, "Did you remember to bring a bow or some ribbon? Paper alone is too drab. It needs a little something extra."

"Hai, I brought a whole roll." Usagi rummaged in her suitcase and produced a silver spool. She handed it to her friend and picked up a pair of scissors. "You tie the ribbon around the present and then I'll trim it nice and close, Rei-chan."

"Ok. But be careful with those scissor and don't cut too close."

"I'm not a child, Rei-chan!"

A minute later the teens in the living room heard the miko scream,_ "Aghh! My finger!"_

_"Rei-chan, stop bleeding all over Mamo-chan's gift!"_

_"I wouldn't be bleeding if you hadn't sliced into my fingertip with those scissors, you clumsy oaf!"_

"They_ slipped,_ ok? It was an_ accident!"_

"Another one?_ That's two_ accidents in_ sixty seconds!"_ Rei growled. "That has to be a new record, even for a baka like you."

Usagi pouted, "Does this mean we aren't best friends anymore?"

"Shut up."

She offered, "I'll get you a bandage from Mako-chan's first aid kit."

"Fine! Please try hard not to stab me before you leave."

_"Ohh! Now you're grumpy again!"_

"If I am it's entirely _your_ fault, _odango atama!"_

_"Quiet, you!" _Usagi stormed from the room, slamming the door as hard as she could behind her.

Mamoru grinned wryly at the Shinto apprentice. "Would you prefer cream or milk in that coffee I owe you, Yuuichirou-chan?"

"Milk please. And extra sugar, Mamoru-san."

. . . . .

Two hours later, Minako and Taro rejoined their friends downstairs, the girl and her lover smiling happily and sharing tender glances at one another.

"That was an awfully long time for a shower" Makoto chuckled from beside the fireplace. She reached for another log and tossed it onto the crackling flames.

Minako giggled, "Hai!_ The longest!"_ She noticed a small bandage wrapped around Rei's index finger. "Did you hurt yourself, Rei-chan?"

"No. I had an idiot do it for me."

Usagi sat sulking at the opposite end of the sofa. _"Miserable!_ I _knew_ it wouldn't last!"

The blonde then spotted the assembled artificial tree standing proudly in one corner of the room and frowned, "I see the boys finally put that dreadful collection of sticks together."

"I think it looks very nice, Minako-chan" Ami spoke above the schoolbook she and Ryo were reading together. "Impressively life-like too."

Makoto added with a stern glare, "And before you say anything else, I _love_ it. So if you can't think of anything good to say about it, don't say anything at all, Minako-chan."

"Well it can't stay there, Mako-chan" Minako protested. "That prime spot is reserved for _my_ tree. Why don't you hide your monstrosity somewhere else, like in the kitchen?"

"Forget it! Who made you the boss here anyway?" the brunette growled.

"Hmph! How can a highly talented decorator like me beautify your house properly under these horrible conditions?" Minako walked up to the tree, prodded at one of its branches and pulled her hand away with a shudder. "Ugh! Fake, fake, _fakety-fake!"_

"Stop picking at it!" Makoto ordered.

"I will, but on one condition. Since you've already taken the best spot with your plastic nightmare, you have to let me choose where to put my tree."

"Fine" the brunette muttered. "Whatever."

Mamoru chuckled, "Yuuichirou-chan, it appears the great Senshi Christmas Tree War of 1995 has begun."

. . . . .

The loud rumble of an approaching truck engine awakened Ami and Ryo not long after sunrise the next morning. "What could be causing such a dreadful noise?" the girl pondered. She slipped from their bed to investigate, making a tiny gap in the curtains to peer through. _"My goodness! _Ryo-kun, you should come and see this! Minako's Christmas tree has arrived!"

Her young lover scrambled to his feet and joined her at the window, looking over her shoulder. "Wow! She wasn't kidding when she said she ordered a big one, Ami darling. It's _gigantic!"_

On the street below, two men uncerimoniously tossed a massive pine onto the curb and drove away.

Ami giggled, "Poor Taro really has his work cut out for him today. I hope he can find a large enough saw."

"Hai. Either that, or Mako-chan needs to make a hole in the ceiling!"

The blue-haired girl closed the curtain and turned away from the window, her eyes coming to rest on her fiancee's nude form. "Now..." she murmured, "where were we, my Ryo-kun?"

"We were... uh... asleep?" the boy shyly said.

"Hai, we _were_ sleeping" Ami coyly smiled before taking her fiancee tenderly in her arms. "But we aren't now, Ryo my love. How about we do something _far_ more pleasurable instead?" She lead him back to their warm soft bed and together they slipped beneath the sheets.

. . . . .

Having hung the final shimmering glass ornament in place, Makoto plugged in her tree and took a few steps back to scrutinize her's and Yuji's afternoon work. "Not bad at all if I do say so, Yuji honey."

"It's beautiful, Mako-chan!" Usagi enthused. "You and your lover boy are really good at decorating!"

"I have to agree with Stabby-chan over there" Rei added. "It's tasteful and elegant. The way a Christmas tree _should_ look."

Minako's head popped around her massive, partially finished tribute to the holiday season that stood, despite the other teens' protests, in the very center of the room. "Pfffft! Amateur! Just wait until mine's finished! _Ha!"_

The brunette examined her future sister-in-law's tree, its branches already bent and sagging from the weight of uncountable wires and decorations. "Just how many more lights were you planning on smothering your tree with, Minako-chan? Isn't that enough already?"

"Silly! There can _never_ be enough lights!" Minako scoffed while tossing another strand of bulbs in place. "When I finally plug in my masterpiece, everyone's going to be so impressed! You'll be speechless, I guarantee it!"

"Hai" Makoto snorted. "Because everyone within twenty kilometers will be temporarily blinded by the ridiculous amount of glare coming off that thing! I just hope it doesn't burst into flames!"

"Now now, don't be jealous" the blonde tittered with a waggling finger. "It's very unbecoming of you, Mako-chan."

"I'm not jealous. I'm just worried. Fire insurance is expensive."

"I agree with Mako-chan" Rei said. "There _is_ such a thing as overdoing it, and your tree passed that point _ages_ ago, Minako-chan."

"No it didn't! Taro-love, pass me another box of lights, cuddle muffin? It's nearly nighttime and I want to finish soon and see my beautiful creation all lit up at night! It'll be ready just in the knock of time too, since tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I can't wait to switch my baby on!" The giant tree swayed precariously on its too-small stand while she worked.

"I can wait" Makoto grumbled. She weaved her way between the clutter of Minako's empty boxes littering the floor and sat down with her fiancee beside the fire, turning her chair to watch Minako furiously and haphazardly string yet more lights in place.

After another half hour, the bubbly blonde had finally exhausted her supply of decorations and hung the last of innumerable strands of tinsel. "There! All done!"

"That poor tree" the brunette sighed. "Being cut down in the prime of its life was bad enough, but to end up as a gaudy, tacky mess is just... sad."

"How can you say such a thing?" the blonde blistered. _"Such sacrilege! _Unlike your plastic horror over there, _my_ tree is not tacky, Mako-chan! As I will soon demonstrate!" She unrolled an extension cord toward a electrical outlet, plugged it in and grasped its switch. "Wait! Someone turn off all the lights first! We need the right atmosphere to properly appreciate my expert talents."

Ami dutifully went to the hallway, and before flipping off the room lights, donned her sunglasses. "All set, Minako-chan" her voice called in the blackness. "Good luck."

"Luck? Silly Ami, there's no _luck_ involved here!" Minako scoffed. "Just my elite decorating skills! Now, I want everyone give me a countdown for dramatic effect!"

"Why?" Makoto grumbled. "Is that chromed abomination you made going to launch itself into space?"

"Just get on with it!" Rei's voice hissed in the darkened room. "Before our holiday is over!"

"Ok! I know you must be as anxious as I am to see it, Rei-chan."

"Don't count on it" the miko muttered.

_"Minna, behold the sheer awesomeness that is an Aino Minako Christmas tree!" _Minako held her breath and excitedly thumbed the switch.

. . . . .


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

_Click!_

_"Ooohhh!"_

A chorus of gasps arose from around the room as Minako's tree blazed into eye-searing life. Usagi stared fixated at the dazzling multitude of lights and shimmering silver tinsel. "Ohh! It's beautiful! Minako-chan, I don't know what else to say!"

"I do" Rei muttered. "But I'm not that rude."

"Yes you are!" Usagi retorted with a scowl. "Best friend forever! _Ha!"_

"How about a well-deserved compliment for my artistry, Usagi-chan? That would be nice!" the beaming blonde giggled. Minako tossed the extension cord's switch on the floor and proudly stood beside her creation. "Impressive, isn't it? It's bright and sparkly, just like me! Now that you can all see how much prettier _my_ tree is than Mako-chan's horribly dull _stick,_ maybe next time everyone won't be so quick to make fun of..." She stopped in mid-boast and sniffed the air. "Minna, what's that funny odor?"

Makoto left her chair beside the now dimly-glowing fireplace and leaned closer. "I smell it too. It's almost like... something's burning." She gasped, "_Minako-chan, I think your tree is on fire! Quick, turn it off!"_

_"Noo! Not my beautiful tree!" _The blonde dropped to her knees and crawled across the floor toward the switch, but before she found it every light on the tree suddenly flickered then went off, plunging the living room into darkness.

"There goes the main fuse!" Yuji blurted. "It must have overloaded from all those bulbs! I'll find the flashlight and replace it!" Makoto's fiancee sprinted toward the kitchen as fast as he dared, thumping his shoulder painfully against the hallway wall. "Ow! Make sure the tree is off first or it'll just blow again!" he warned before pressing on.

"Minako-chan, if that thing burns my house down, I'll be_ very_ _angry! Do you understand exactly what that means?"_ Makoto's voice growled threateningly in the blackness.

_"Ami-chan!_ _H__elp!"_ Minako pleaded, still groping blindly on the floor for the switch. "I can't find the off button!"

"Hai! I don't see any fire but I'll get the extinguisher from the upstairs bathroom just in case!" The blue-haired girl scurried past Minako's pride and joy toward the stairs, using the dying fireplace's faint glow as her guide. Still wearing her dark sunglasses, she stumbled over an unseen ornament box and staggered sideways with a panicked squeal, collapsing into the tree's branches. A soft jingle of ornaments followed as the huge pine began to topple.

"Minna, what's that funny noise?" Usagi asked, her eyes still too dazzled by glare to witness the chaos unfolding around her.

With a soft whoosh the massive tree, and Mizuno Ami with it, fell directly towards the spot where Rei and Yuuichirou were sitting on the sofa. The miko spotted the prickly green apparition charging at her out of the gloom too late to do anything but scream.

_"Ahhhh!"_

_"I'll save you, honey!" _Yuuichirou stuck his arm up to protect his girl an instant before its branches crashed into him and loose ornaments rained down upon the couple like miniature festive bombs.

Mamoru and Taro sprang toward the felled tree and Ryo leapt to rescue his beloved. The boy gently grasped her shoulders and lifted her off it. "Ami my love, are you ok?"

"I'm uninjured, Ryo-kun. Something must have broken my fall."

_"That was me!"_ Rei's muffled yell came from beneath a clump of branches. The miko's raven hair was coated in silver tinsel and her shoulders were enshrouded in loops of garland.

"Ami-chan! You ruined my work of art!" Minako groaned.

"Gomen, Minako-chan!"

As Taro and Mamoru lifted the tree off the couple, the apprentice clawed at a wayward wire that seemed determined to strangle him. "_Gaaa!_ This wooden youma is trying to _kill_ me!" he gurgled. Yanking the cable free, Yuuichirou took a deep gulp of air and wheezed, "I can breathe again!"

"Is anyone seriously hurt?" Taro asked.

"That baka fiancee of yours will be!" Rei vowed, steaming with rage beneath small pile of ornaments that had fallen into her lap. "Just as soon as I can get my hands on her!"

Minako giggled nervously, "Just a tiny setback, Rei-chan! These things happen but don't worry, I'll fix everything!" Minako gave up on finding the switch and ripped the extension cord from the wall instead. "There! It's unplugged, Yuji-chan!"

"Arigatou!" Yuji called from the fuse panel. He quickly replaced the dead fuse and returned from the kitchen with a flashlight in hand. "Try the lights again, Mako honey!"

The brunette followed his beam and flipped on the ceiling light. "Good grief! What a disaster!"

Usagi looked at the miko and burst out laughing. "Rei-chan! Now _you're_ all decorated for Christmas too! Hehehe!" She reached over and straightened a piece of tinsel that hung from her friend's nose "That's much better" she smirked.

Rei angrily shoved her hand away. "Shut up, odango atama!" the raven-haired girl scowled. "Or after I finish dealing with Minako, you're next on my list!"

"Hmph! Someone's not very jolly tonight!" Usagi muttered. "So typical!"

"There's nothing typical about being buried alive!"

The doorbell chimed and Makoto hurried to answer it, surprised to find two familiar faces waiting outside. She bowed, "Konbanwa! This is a nice surprise!"

Tenou Haruka strode into the house with Michiru following her, each carrying a bag of gifts. _"Season's Greetings, minna! _And a very merry Chr-... _nani?"_ She regarded the pair of dueling Christmas trees, the larger of which now stood lopsided and mangled almost beyond recognition in the center of the living room. Her astonished eyes flitted from a horrified Minako sitting on the floor, to Ami standing beside Ryo with her top rumpled and sunglasses dangling loosely from one ear, and finally to Rei with her hair still smothered in tinsel and garland. Haruka chuckled, "Looks like the party started without us, Michi-chan!" She grinned at the younger teens. "Did we arrive at a bad time?"

"Bad?" Makoto chuckled. "No, Haruka-san, not at all. This is just another typical day here at my old house. But please excuse Minako's mess."

"Ami caused it!" the blonde insisted.

Rei snatched the last of the garland from her shoulders and tossed it on the floor. She slowly stood, staring evilly down at Minako. "So you still think you're an expert decorator, Minako-chan? Well _I'm_ an expert at something too! Strangling bakas!"

"There's no need for silly violence, Rei-chan!" the girl pleaded. "The best thing we can all do in a situation like this is to stay calm!" She nervously began edging away from the angry girl until her back pressed up against a wall.

_"Calm? I'll show you calm!"_ But before the furious miko could move toward her, she felt Yuuichirou's restraining hand come to rest gently on her shoulder.

"Rei my darling, it_ is_ the season to forgive" her love reminded her softly. "There's no harm done, except to the tree. It's wrecked pretty bad."

"And I can fix that, as easy as cake!" Minako promised her friends. "My masterpiece will be just like new in a jiffy!"

"Masterpiece?" the miko snorted. "More like a _monsterpiece!_ Is Minako's holiday deathtrap still about to go up in flames, Ami-chan?"

Ami unhooked the leg of her sunglasses from her ear and carefully examined what remained of the tree. "I don't see any evidence of fire, Rei-chan. That strange smell was probably just a hot bulb touching a wire and beginning to melt its insulation. A simple rearrangement of the lights should prevent that problem from reccurring."

"Or we could throw it outside and put the poor thing out of its misery" Makoto added. "Yuji honey, let's do that instead."

_"Oh no you don't!"_ Minako clambered to her feet and tightly clenched the nearest branch. _"My tree stays!"_

"Why? So you can have another go at burning down my house or crushing Rei and Yuuichirou?" the brunette shot back. "One Aino Minako disaster today is _more_ than enough!"

"Minna, please don't fight!" Usagi begged the girls. "You're going to be sisters-in-law soon, remember? And besides, it's nearly Christmas!"

"Is it?" Rei hissed at the blonde. "Then how about _you_ keep quiet so the rest of us can have a little Silent Night for a change?"

_"Ohh!_ Why are you always so miserable, Rei-chan?"

_"I'm only miserable when you and that other blonde baka make me that way!"_ the miko flustered.

"That's ridiculous! And insulting too! _You take that back!"_

_"Never!"_

Michiru observed the teens' squabble with growing alarm. "This isn't exactly the picturesque winter scene I had imagined during our drive here, Haruka."

"Hai. We expected to find everyone sitting together sharing mugs of hot chocolate beside a crackling fire" her partner chuckled at Rei. "Not sprawled under Minako's gigantic... uh... thing. But hey, whatever works." She told her brunette hostess, "Don't worry about finding accommodations for us, Mako-chan. We weren't planning on staying the night. Michi-chan and I just wanted to drop by for a few hours to wish everyone our best before we leave for the airport tomorrow morning."

"You're flying _again?_ It must be nice to travel around the world as much as you both do" Usagi sighed wistfully. "I'm _so_ jealous!"

"The travelling part is somewhat tedious, but it _is_ rather enjoyable to experience other cultures, Usagi-chan. I have a concert in Vienna on the twenty-sixth" Michiru explained to the blonde.

_"Vienna?"_ Usagi exclaimed. "Isn't that the place where they make those tasty little sausages? _Mmm, sausages!_ Now I feel hungry!"

"Even the holiday season or Minako's Collapsing Tree Of Death isn't enough to distract your stomach from food" Rei muttered. "Why don't you put your appetite to good use for once and eat Minako's stupid abomination before it kills someone, Usagi-chan?"

"My tree is_ not_ stupid!" Minako blurted defensively. "It just needs a little touch-up! And maybe..." she grudgingly admitted, "a few less lights."

"A _lot_ less!" Makoto grumbled. "Haruka-san, I hope you and Michiru are staying for dinner."

"Wouldn't miss your cooking for all the sausages in Vienna, Mako-chan" the older girl chuckled. "And afterwards, how about we do something together to ease the tension and rejuvenate the festive mood in here?"

Usagi evilly eyed the miko. "If you can somehow make grumpy Rei happy, you're both _miracle workers!"_

"We'll give it our best shot" Haruka promised. "Perhaps I can even suggest a fun activity we can all do together."

"What kind of activity, Haruka-san?" Ami inquired.

"It involves my latest hobby, Ami-chan" the tall blonde told her. "I've been studying hypnotism. And I think I've finally gotten the hang of it."

"I know precisely what you're thinking" Michiru sighed disapprovingly. "Haruka, must you?"

"Relax, lover" her partner winked back. "It'll be a fun evening, I promise."

. . . . .


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Michiru steered Makoto aside after dinner as the couples relaxed in the living room and Minako busied herself repairing her tree. "I _must_ have your recipe, Mako-chan. Our meal tonight was simply divine."

"Really?" the brunette replied with a blush of modesty. "It wasn't _too_ special, but I'll be happy to share my secrets with you, Michiru-san. Which course would you like to know about?"

_"All_ of them."

"Michi-chan is always trying to better her abilities in the kitchen" Haruka smiled. "But I have absolutely no complaints, lover. About your culinary abilities, or... anything else you do."

"Striving to improve is probably why she's such an accomplished and famous violinist" Rei remarked. "Something my Yuuichirou could stand to work on a lot harder."

"Nani? You want me to take up the violin, darling?" her fiancee grinned. "Sure, I'll give it a shot! If you and Hino-sensei don't mind the noise of my practicing, I'll-"

"Not the violin, lover" the miko corrected him. "I meant trying to excel more in your duties as a Shinto apprentice."

"Rei darling, did anyone ever tell you that you sound just like your grandfather sometimes?" the boy moaned. "Nothing I ever do is good enough for that man."

"Hmph! She's not like him at all, Yuuichirou-chan!" Usagi grumbled from the opposite end of the sofa. "Hino-sensei is nice and polite and always kind to me."

"And I'm not?" Rei blustered.

"Well, you _were_ nice earlier today. For about ten minutes" the blonde muttered. "I _knew_ it was too good to last!"

"That's funny, because _you_ were normal today too, Usagi-chan. Coincidentally for those very same ten minutes. Until you stabbed me with those scissors, you clumsy baka!"

_"It was an accident!"_

"Stop making excuses!" Rei's eyes narrowed, "Or was it a deliberate act this time?"

"Of course it wasn't! But maybe it _should_ have been!" Usagi growled back.

_"You little twit! If you cut me like that again, I'll-"_

"Ladies, before this little tiff of yours goes any further, how about we change the subject? Perhaps some light entertainment will ease the tension" Haruka suggested to the feuding girls.

Minako frowned beside the tree, "Entertainment? That depends, Haruka-san. If it's more of that wretched classical music you're thinking of playing on Mako-chan's piano, you can count me out!"

"Perhaps I'll play later" Haruka teased. "Just for you Minako-chan, since you seem to enjoy it so much."

"Haruka-san, you mentioned that you were studying hypnosis. I'd like to see it, if you don't mind" Ami prompted.

"Just the thing I was planning, Ami-chan. Now I'd like everyone to gather round for a little something you may find quite... hypnotic. Minna, let's have fun." Haruka sat on the floor and waved the couples over. The girls and their fiancees formed a semicircle around her, with only Michiru and Usagi refusing to join the group. "I don't think I want to be involved in this, Haruka-san" the blonde fretted. "I watched some guy get hypnotized on TV once and they made him crawl around on his hands and knees and even bark like a dog! It was _so_ embarrassing."

"For _you_ that would be an improvement" Rei teased.

"I hope you bite that miserable tongue of yours!" Usagi scowled at the smirking miko.

"I swear I won't make you do anything like that, Usagi-chan" Haruka promised her with a chuckle. "There's no need to feel nervous. Join us."

"Well... um..."

"Get over here now!" Rei ordered. "Don't be such a wallflower!" She tittered, "Or are you too scared?"

"I'm not scared!" Usagi miffed. "I was merely thinking that as your future Queen, it's important to keep my dignity intact, Rei-chan!"

"You big baby! Don't you know you _lose_ your dignity every time you open that big mouth of yours to eat! Or talk! Or do anything at all!"

_"Fine!_ I'll do it, but only if you keep your promise, Haruka-san." The blonde reluctantly joined her friends, sitting between Rei and Mamoru. "Ok, I'm ready. How is this creepy business supposed to work?"

"I'll explain as we go along. The best way to lose your inhibitions is to jump right in, so I'll start with a willing volunteer. Which would be... our brave Usagi."

_"Me?" _the blonde paled_. "I'm not willing! Or brave!"_

"Cluck cluck cluck" the miko teased her again. "I guess she'll start laying eggs soon. Would you like us to make a nice soft nest for you to sit in, Usagi-chan?"

_"Hush up!"_

Haruka removed a small silver pendant from the pocket of her slacks and dangled it from its long string. "Usagi-chan, I need you to focus your eyes on this pendant and concentrate only on it. Ignore everyone around you and just listen to whatever I say, ok?"

"Hai. But remember, no dogs!"

"No dogs or barking" the tall blonde agreed with a smile. She slowly swung the charm back and forth in front of the girl. "Watch it closely now. Relax... you are beginning to feel sleepy..."

"No I'm not!"

"Try harder, baka!" Rei hissed. "Just pretend you're sitting in class and that big mouth of yours will be yawning like a cavern in no time!"

Haruka continued swinging the silver disc to and fro, gradually lowering her voice to a soft suggestive whisper. "Sleepy... hai, that's it... very good... " She continued until the blonde's eyelids eventually fluttered closed.

"Excellent, Usagi-chan. Now... you are feeling totally relaxed and completely under my control. Listen carefully to what I tell you next."

"Make her bark like a dog, Haruka-san!" Rei urged with an evil grin. "Maybe then she'll finally say something coherent."

"I promised I wouldn't, Rei-chan. Usagi-chan, can you hear me?"

"Zzzzz..."

Usagi slowly toppled against Rei who pushed her upright with a scowl. "Get off me, you snoring imbecile!"

"What is your name?" Haruka prompted the blonde.

"My name... is... uh... imbecile."

"Finally the truth comes out!" the miko laughed.

"No it isn't, Usagi-chan" Haruka corrected her. "Remember, you must listen only to _my i_nstructions."

Her words were met with an even louder snore.

"I don't think your trance is working correctly, Haruka-san" Ami giggled. "Usagi doesn't appear to be under your control. She seems to be completely unconscious!"

"Hai. It isn't supposed to happen this way" the budding hypnotist admitted. "Usagi is proving to be a rather difficult case, so perhaps I'll move on to someone else instead." She snapped her fingers. "Usagi-chan, _wake up!" _

"Zzz- _huh?"_ The teen's eyes blinked open. "Minna, was I hypnotized?"

"No, you just dozed off and started snoring like a farm tractor again" Rei grumbled. "You can't even do a simple thing like this properly. What a lost cause!"

_"Be quiet, you!"_

"As you wish, Queen Imbecile."

_"Ohh! How dare you call me that!" _the girl fumed.

"It was your idea."

_"No it wasn't!"_

"Let me try Ami next" Haruka decided. "Don't worry, Ami-chan, I'll keep my suggestions simple and dignified." After a minute the tall blonde had the shy blue-haired girl under her suggestive control. "When I wake you up in a few seconds, everything will be just as it was" she told her. "Except that every now and then, you will tell us whatever thought happens to be on your mind at that instant. And you will remain this way for the next two hours. Do you understand?"

"Hai..." Ami murmured. "Tell you... on my mind..."

Makoto whispered to Yuji, "I bet we'll hear her recite lessons from school, honey. If she starts giving everyone a science lecture, we'll _all _fall asleep!"

Haruka sharply snapped her fingers. _"Ami-chan, awaken!"_

Ami instantly did so and turned her blue eyes upon her young man. "Was I hypnotized, my Ryo-kun? What did I do?"

"Nothing yet, my sweet" her fiancee replied. "How do you feel?"

"I feel... like a cup of coffee. I'm somewhat thirsty."

"Then please allow me to bring you one, darling." Ryo offered. He stood and hurried toward the kitchen with Ami's blue eyes closely following her fiancee from the room.

"Well, _I'm_ not very impressed by what I've seen so far, Haruka-san" Minako grumbled. "Ami seems no different."

_"I'm_ certainly impressed" Ami abruptly blurted. "My Ryo has the_ sexiest _body!"

Makoto and Yuji exchanged stunned glances. "Uh... what was that again, Ami-chan?" the brunette asked.

The studious girl began to blush beneath everyone's disbelieving stares. "Gomen, Mako-chan. Did I just say something? I wasn't aware of speaking just now."

"Never mind, Ami-chan" Haruka chuckled. "What you said wasn't _too_ personal."

"Oh. That's a relief!" The shy girl fell silent as Haruka next turned her attention to Minako.

"Still doubting my abilities, Minako-chan? Doubt no more, because I'm wrapping up today's performance with you."

"Hai! Go ahead and give me your best shot, Haruka-san!" the overly-confident blonde urged. "I'm always in full control of _my_ mind. Your hypno-mumbling won't affect me in the least!"

Minako went under the older girl's induced trance surprisingly easy and Haruka paused to playfully ask the other teens, "Minna, any suggestions for Minako?"

Makoto grinned "I have one" and whispered something in Haruki's ear. "Can you make her think that?"

"Mako-chan, that's rather evil of you. And I _love it!"_ Haruka laughed. She turned her attention back to the motionless blonde. "Minako-chan, when you wake up, you will be convinced you are no longer wearing any clothes."

"No clothes..." the younger blonde mumbled. "Hai..."

After Haruka snapped her out of the deep trance, Taro grasped his love's hand in his. "Minako honey? Are you with us again?"

"Hai! And I feel perfectly fine, sugar muffin! Just like I said, this silly hypnosis thing didn't affect me _one teeny little..."_ Minako glanced down and her face instantly lost all its color. _"Aaahhh! I'm bare naked! Here in the living room in front of everyone!"_ Covering herself with her hands, she leapt to her feet and cowered behind her tree. _"Taro love, bring me my clothes! Or a blanket! Or anything! Quickly now! Evil Haruka must've undressed me while I was under her spell!"_

Taro smiled, "But you're _not-"_

_"Please hurry! I'm way too modest to parade around here like this!" _the blonde blurted in sheer panic. _"I should never have trusted that wild woman!"_ In desperation she began tugging garland from her Christmas tree to wrap around herself, but yanked too hard and the large unstable tree once again toppled over with a clatter of scattering ornaments.

_"Noooo!"_ Minako savagely ripped the large gold star from the treetop and, deftly clutching it in front of her, bolted towards the dining room. Her face flushed scarlet when Ryo appeared in the hallway with Ami's coffee. _"Ryo-chan, stop looking at me!"_

"Nani?"

_"My modesty! It's ruined!" _she wailed as she rushed into the room and slammed the door behind her.

Deeply perplexed, Urawa Ryo sat beside his girl and passed her the cup. "Ami darling, what's gotten into Minako?"

"She's under the impression she isn't wearing any clothing, Ryo-kun." Ami suddenly smiled coyly at him. "I can't wait to see _you_ naked later, my love."

_"Ecchi!"_ Usagi blurted, and now it was Ryo's turn to blush.

_"Ami-chan!" _the boy gasped._ "_Please don't say such personal things! _Not here!"_

"You were right, Minako-chan!" Makoto bellowed at the closed door. "Haruka's hypnosis had no affect on anyone at all!"

. . . . .


End file.
